


Gossip and longing

by butterfreeism



Series: Finally, Zukka [1]
Category: Avatar (TV), Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Everyone Is Gay, Gen, Gossip, M/M, Minor Character(s), Or bisexual, Pre-Slash, Prologue, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Romantic Tension, zukka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-10-29 11:47:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10853355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterfreeism/pseuds/butterfreeism
Summary: After fleeing the Western Air Temple, Teo and Haru commiserate about feelings they never acted on — and learn that the Duke is a surprising source of gossip about Team Avatar.Prologue/Part 1 of the "Finally, Zukka" series. Takes place concurrently with Book 3, Episode 16: "The Southern Raiders."





	Gossip and longing

Even without looking over at the other bunk, Teo could tell that the Duke was getting up again. He hadn’t noticed while they were staying at the Western Air Temple, but the close quarters of their stolen airship made it impossible to ignore: The Duke had the smallest bladder of anyone Teo had ever met. For the third time that night, he heard the rustle of blankets, creaking of slats, and groaning of Haru as the Duke tried and failed to get off the top bunk without waking the teen in the bed below. A loud groan and a whispered apology followed. Teo considered reminding the Duke about his wheelchair, but before he could, the Duke had, once again, tripped on it in his haste to get to the bathroom. Another groan came from Haru’s bunk.

Hearing Haru reminded Teo of the dream that the Duke had interrupted the last time he got up. As with most of Teo’s erotic dreams, it featured him and Sokka in one of the cozier rooms of the Northern Air Temple. Unlike in his normal dreams, though, Haru had also been there with them. He remembered Haru kissing him as Sokka looked on. He could remember the smirk on Sokka’s face has Haru moved from his lips to kiss his chest. Teo blushed, remembering. Though he and Haru had become fast, and close, friends since the Day of Black Sun, he had only started thinking of Haru in a more-than-friends way recently. But because of his feelings for Sokka, he still wasn’t sure exactly what to make of his attraction to Haru.

As the Duke pulled open the door of their room to scamper out into the corridor, a dim shaft of light fell on Haru’s side of the room. With the light, Teo could see that Haru was also awake, gazing up at the underside of the Duke’s empty bunk. Teo turned his head towards Haru. “Did he wake you up again?”

In the dim light streaming in from the corridor, Teo could see Haru shift to face him. “Yep. How come you’re still up?”

Teo sighed. “I was thinking about…” he began, picturing Sokka’s smirking face again. He wasn’t sure whether to continue. He’d never really talked about crushes with anyone before — apart from the occasional hermit crab, that is. And until he figured out how he felt about Haru, he didn’t want to tell him something that he might regret later.

“You were thinking about your dad?” Haru asked.

“Well, no…” Teo started. “I mean, I do think about my dad a lot, but I was actually thinking about, um…” He was picturing Sokka again — this time smiling, closing his eyes, and leaning in for a kiss. Teo could feel himself blushing. “I was thinking about someone I…like.”

Haru smiled. “That’s a good reason to be up.”

“Well, it would be, if I thought he liked me too.”

“Huh,” Haru responded. “It’s always been easier for me to tell when guys liked me than when girls did. Have you told him you liked him?”

Teo started to shake his head, then realized that Haru might not be able to see him. “No, I haven’t,” he said instead. “And I…I think I missed my chance.”

“Yeah, I think I know what you mean,” Haru sighed. “That happened with me and…well, this girl I met a while back. I met her back in my village, but she was traveling and didn’t stay very long. I thought there could be something there, but I never thought I’d see her again. But then I did see her again, uh…not too long ago. But then there was her…well, there was Hakoda and the invasion. And I never got to tell her how I feel, or see if she liked me back.”

Teo had a pretty good idea who Haru was talking about, but he decided it was best not to let on. Instead, he nodded. “I was like you and didn’t think I’d see this guy again,” he responded. “Not many people come to the Northern Air Temple after all, let alone twice. But he was just so…special. I couldn’t forget him, and I kept on hoping. And like you with your girl, I did see him again. Except I was about to tell him before…before this all happened. But I’m not going to get another chance. I know I’ll run into this guy again, but…he has a girlfriend now.”

“Hey, you never know! Relationships don’t always last. Besides, he may not, uh, _just_ like girls. Some guys, you know, like both…” Haru trailed off.

Teo smiled and started blushing again. He had definitely imagined that Sokka might like guys, too. Of course, he’d also spent many a night imagining Sokka showing how much he liked guys with _him_ specifically. His blush deepened and his smile widened as he remembered. “Yeah, maybe,” he finally responded, hazily.

“He does,” came a matter-of-fact voice from the doorway.

Jolted from his heady memories, Teo whipped his head towards the boy at the door. Without his helmet on, the Duke seemed even smaller than normal. Even so, Teo was startled by his stealthy reappearance.

“How long have you been standing there?” Teo cried out. He couldn’t help but feel like he was caught in the act.

“A while,” the Duke replied. “I’m good at being quiet.”

Teo heard Haru snort at this. “Since when?” he asked.

“Well, I’m good at being quiet when I’m already awake,” the Duke qualified as he made his way back to his bunk.

Recovering from his earlier shock, Teo realized he was intrigued by what the Duke had said. “What did you mean, ‘He does’?” he asked.

“What do you think I mean?” the Duke responded, climbing back up to his bed. “He likes both guys and girls.”

Incredulous, Teo countered, “How do you even know who we’re talking about?”

The Duke turned to face Teo. He took a seat at the edge of his bed and let his feet swing below him. Finally settled, he responded, “Because I know you like Sokka.”

Teo’s jaw dropped. “Wha…wha…” he stammered. “What…what?”

“Is Sokka actually the guy you’ve been talking about?” Haru asked, dodging the Duke’s feet as they swung.

Before Teo could stammer out a reply, the Duke chimed in. “Yep, he is. He’s had a crush on Sokka for a while.”

“How…how…how did you…how did you know?!” Teo finally got out.

“Well, since I’m good at being quiet, I’m good at overhearing things,” the Duke replied. “Because I’m small, it’s easy for people not to pay much attention to me. Even Toph doesn’t notice me sometimes.” He shrugs his shoulders. “So they let their guards down and talk about gossip and other secret things.”

“Yeah?” Haru said, in mild disbelief. “What have you heard about me?”

The Duke leaned over the edge of his bed to peer down at Haru. “Mainly that you like Katara.” Haru made a small, frustrated noise. As if he hadn’t heard, the Duke continued, “And that people aren’t big fans of those leech-a-pillars on your face.” Out of the corner of his eye, Teo saw Haru’s hand drop from his face, where it had been stroking his mustache. Teo couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. Somehow, it seemed that he was the only one who thought Haru’s facial hair made him look more attractive — a fact he had not realized until that moment.

“Anyways,” the Duke said, looking up again to address Teo. “After we first got the Western Air Temple, I heard Katara telling Aang she thought you were funny, and Aang got defensive and told her that he thought you had a crush on Sokka. And that’s when Katara said that Sokka liked guys, too, so she might ask him about you.” At this, Teo’s heart started to flutter. The Duke continued, “And then there was this one time, when I was walking by the bathrooms, I heard you…”

“You can stop there,” Teo cut in. He had an idea what the Duke was about to say, even though he thought no one else had heard his accidentally vocal orgasm several nights before. “So,” he said, feeling curious, “what have you heard about Sokka?”

“Besides that he likes guys and girls?”

Despite having heard it from the Duke already, Teo’s heart fluttered even more. “Yeah, what else have you heard?”

The Duke sighed. “You’re not going to like it.”

Confused, Teo asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well,” the Duke started, cautiously. “He and Suki aren’t going to last…”

“Really?!” Teo exclaimed, sitting up excitedly. A beat. “Um, I mean, interesting. Why did you think I wouldn’t like that?”

“I didn’t finish what I saying,” the Duke responded, a hint of a whine in his voice. “He and Suki aren’t going to last because…he likes Suki less than he likes…” He paused. Teo could see by the look on his face that he was trying to avoid an uncomfortable truth.

“He likes Suki less than who?” Teo asks, nervously.

The boy sighed again. “He likes Suki less than he likes Zuko.” Teo’s jaw dropped for the second time that night. His heart ceased fluttering; instead, it felt like the Duke had dropped it in freezing water.

“WHAT?!” Haru shouted. “HE LIKES ZUmrph…” Before he could finish his sentence, the Duke had dropped off his bed and on top of him.

“Shhhhh…” he hissed as Haru fought to extricate himself. “You’re going to wake up Hakoda and Chit Sang!” Haru calmed slightly, and the Duke climbed off him.

“Wow,” Teo finally whimpered. Somehow, hearing about Sokka’s feelings for Zuko had been harder to take than seeing him with Suki. “I hadn’t noticed.”

The Duke shrugged again. “Neither has he, apparently. I think he and Suki mostly just like each other because of ‘battle fever.’”

“What’s that?” said Haru.

Teo nodded. “I haven’t heard about it either.”

“Jet used to tell us about it,” the Duke responded. “I think he might have made up the name. ‘Battle fever’ is where people are drawn together when they’re fighting together. But if that was the only thing keeping them together, then after the fight is over, they drift apart.”

“And that’s what brought Sokka and Suki together?” Haru asked.

“Yeah. Suki is starting to see it. I heard her talking with Toph last night, and she’s starting to wonder if she and Sokka have a future after the war. So it’s just battle fever for them. But that’s not what’s bringing Sokka and Zuko together.”

“Bringing _them_ together?” asked Teo, pitifully. “Zuko likes Sokka back?”

“Yeah, he does. At least, he’s starting to. I’m not sure if he’s noticed yet either. But Chit Sang was telling Aang about it last night. He said he could tell by how they acted with each other at the Fire Nation prison. And Aang laughed and said he had gotten that impression because of how they look at each other when they don’t think the other one will see. He said noticed it with Sokka first, when he and Zuko got back from dancing with the dragons. But then he saw it with Zuko, too, a few days later, when Sokka was telling his story about the pentapox in Omashu. I guess it’s like something in their eyes comes alive. He said he hadn’t seen anyone look at each other the way that they do. It’s like…”

“Teo, are you alright?” Haru interrupted.

Teo was sure his face showed every bit of his disappointment and sadness. Any hope he’d had about Sokka liking him back evaporated as he listened to the Duke describe what, to him, sounded like the beginning of a love story starring Sokka and Zuko. He couldn’t help but feel grateful for Haru’s interruption. He tried to speak, but couldn’t get the words out. So he shook his head instead.

“The Duke, how about you go to sleep now, okay?” Haru said with a hint of frustration.

“Yeah, okay,” replied the Duke. “Sorry, Teo. I didn’t mean to make you sad.” Teo saw Haru shoot the boy a dirty look as he crawled under his blanket. In a moment, they could hear the sound of his snores.

As Haru turned back to Teo, his expression softened. Teo managed to smile wanly at Haru for a moment, but almost immediately, he could feel his smile fading into a frown. “Hey, hey,” Haru said, soothingly, as he rose and crossed to Teo’s bunk. “It’s going to be okay. Sure, it’s hard now, but it’ll get better, okay?” He sat down on the bed beside Teo and put a hand on his shoulder.

Teo lifted his head and looked at Haru. He met Haru’s eyes, which had become green pools of pure kindness. Feeling some of the strength come back into his voice, he whispered, “Thank you, Haru,” and reached up to clasp his hand.

The moment their skin touched, Teo felt something ripple through him — like static, he thought, but more pleasant. He could see that Haru had felt it, too. He felt Haru’s other hand at his waist, pulling him closer, and in a moment, he was nestled against the other teen’s chest. He smiled to himself as he felt Haru gently kiss the top of his head as he held him. He looked up at Haru, smile still turning the corners of his lips. Haru smiled back down at him, and hugged him closer. Teo held his gaze for a few seconds at most — though it felt like a blissful eternity in Teo’s mind.

As his head fell back onto Haru’s shoulder, he felt his sadness starting to slip away. He didn’t know what that meant, but in that moment, he was fine with not knowing. He didn’t want to think about what might happen in the morning. He just wanted Haru to hold him for the night.

A few hours later, the Duke awoke for the fourth time that night. As he peered over the edge of the bed to see if he’d woken Haru, he caught a glimpse of Teo and Haru across the room — both fast asleep in each other’s arms. The Duke cocked his head to one side. “Huh. I guess I have some gossip of my own to talk about,” he whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> Liked what you read? Then click below for Part 2 of the "Finally, Zukka" series, "The heavenly bodies" — just posted!
> 
> And if you'd like to see me spin this out into a Haru/Teo series, too, let me know in the comments!
> 
> Thank you to my partner for all the proofreading and feedback. <3


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